Tri Rismaharina, president of UCLG ASPAC and mayor of Surabaya, Indonesia, pointed out that the world has recently been ushering in a key period for city development and hoped that through dialogues and exchanges, a new mechanism for sharing and cooperation could be formed among global cities so that all cities could face up to problems and challenges together.

The UCLG ASPAC Belt & Silkroad Online Magazine is launched in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, on May 22. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The "Yiwu Initiative", which calls for joint efforts to implement commitments in exchange and cooperation, and the UCLG ASPAC Belt & Silkroad Online Magazine were launched at the opening ceremony of the event.

Founded in 2004, UCLG aims to help local governments cope with challenges through communication and cooperation. One of the most influential stages for city cooperation, its members include 112 local government associations and over 1,000 cities from 95 countries.

Yiwu was included in UCLG in 2017. It is a member of the UCLG ASPAC council and a member of BRLC Committee.